Ninja Love Story

Chapter 22

I sucked in a breath. Yoshitsune looked up in alarm and Hanzo immediately reached for his sword. Our eyes all narrowed in a mixture of surprise and annoyance at the stranger in the doorway.

"Forgive the intrusion. I am Kagetoki Kajiwara." Yoshitsune straightened up at once when the strange man mentioned his name. He sauntered into the room with his nose in the air and a haughty, displeased smile on his face. I analyzed Kagetoki, taking in his glaring eyes and black slicked-back hair. I dislike him instantly. Was he eavesdropping? Or just fortunate with timing...?

Kagetoki meandered around the room, picking up objects from the shelves and somewhat inspecting them before setting them down again with a contemptuous sniff. "I have come here under orders of Yoritomo Minamoto, supreme commander of the Minamoto army." Finally, he turned to me. "Could you be..." he began, his eyes widening the smallest of degrees as he took me in, "Sheeta Menai of the Menai family?"

I raised my chin in defiant pride. "I am she."

"Lord Kajiwara! Why have you come here?" Yoshitsune said. He moved to block me from Kagetoki's gaze. I felt Hanzo's quiet but prepared-for-anything prescence at my side and his fingers slip into my grasp.

Kagetoki sniffed. "My apologies for calling on you so late Yoshitsune but I have an urgent message to relay to you. I have it on good faith that a man by the name of Rengoku Biwa, a Heishi supporter, has obtained the Ame no Murakumo no Tsurugi."

Out of the corner of my eyes, Hanzo glared and Yoshitsune flinched. I looked back and forth between the two men questioningly. "Rengoku Biwa...?

"An enemy ninja who uses dark magic," Hanzo spat. "He probably used his artes to locate the sword's hiding place."

Could he mean....?

A shimmer of light from across the bank caught my attention. I stood up, my eyes searching. "Is someone there...?" I called. One of the bushes rustled unnaturally, as if a branch had been pulled back and suddenly let go. I thought I saw someone running through the underbrush, a silver object on their back glowing from the light. What in the world was that...?

Rengoku... Biwa?!

I gasped in sudden realization, causing Hanzo to look down at me in concern. "Just for a moment, at the waterfall, I think I saw him!" The silver object on his back - that had to be it! I scowled at myself. We were so close to getting that sword... It was right there!

Hanzo sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose in thought again. "Well, now that we've confirmed who stole it, we know exactly where it is." He looked to Yoshitsune pointedly. "Let's go take it back."

Yoshitsune gravely nodded. "Agreed. Kazemasa, you take She-"

"Kazemasa! Kazemasa, where are you?" In the distance, we could suddenly hear rampant footsteps and doors frantically slamming open and shut. "Dammit, where is he- that is a toilet... Arrrgh!" Suddenly, Enya barreled through the door and very nearly landed in a graceful pile of manliness. "Kaze.. masa... Letter.. for you.. Urgent..." he huffed, holding out an envelope.

"What-!?" Hanzo snatched the letter from Enya's hands and tore it open. We all watched as he read, his face visibly growing more and more grim. Abruptly, he crumpled the letter in his hands. "It's news from the Wind Village... My father has fallen ill."

"What?!" Aside from Kagetoki, we all collectively gasped. I took a step forward without thinking and reached out to comfort Hanzo when I saw something that made me stop dead in my tracks. Hanzo's shaking?!

"...It's too late to decide on any further action tonight," Yoshitsune piped up suddenly. "You are all excused. Lord Kajiwara, we will speak in private." Taking that as our cue to leave, Enya, Hanzo, and I hurried out to the hallway.